Homelessness and the Failure of the Welfare System Essay

Homelessness and the Failure of the Welfare System - Essay ExampleIn his time on the streets, he speaks of Billy Jack, a longtime unsettled person who has recently gotten pop out of jail after five years. For him, being homeless is a matter of self-esteem and a sense of place. He panhandles, he drinks wine, and he waits every morning for the Sally Ann truck to come by with breakfast and clothing. He is settled in his routine.The Parkdale recreation centre in Toronto is a shelter for the homeless, but, according to Stackhouse, public opinion does non consider these people homeless. Some have mental problems some, such(prenominal) as Jim, have at least a part-time job. Jim works to supplement his disability income and believes that working is a way to be healthier. What constitutes a homeless person Is it simply a matter of not have a mailing address or is it based on income Stackhouse saysWhen I had set out a week earlier to live homeless, I did not expect to be eating pancakes an d sausage for breakfast and pastries before bed, or to draw $20 an hour simply by sitting on the ground with a cardboard sign in front of me (233).On the other side of the coin, Stackhouse goes on to mention his surprise at how much crack passes through the shelters considered representative of public goodwill. He also makes note of the fact that as he moves from iodine shelter to another, he is apt to see the same people, who are also moving. Some shelters are better than others, for instance in an affluent area of Toronto, Stackhouse duologue with an overnight guest, who apologizes for being there and says he knows he shouldnt be. He has a truck, hauls scrap metal to dumps, and makes about $600 to $700 a week. The problems, Stackhouse has discovered, are more than psychological than somatic and often not related to simply shelter for the homeless. To be homeless, according to Stackhouse, is to be without a stable environment. He quotes one homeless man in this affluent shelte r who says This is a real traditional neighborhood (comparing it with his transient existence). I bet these people never have to go anywhere (232). falsehood of Opposing ArgumentIt is said by some that the homeless do not have the resources, opportunities and skills they need to go back to the main society. Jack Layton, chairperson of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, offers a more academic view of homelessness in his rebuttal of Stackhouses article. But instead of looking at the specific details of Stackhouses experience, Layton makes this a personal vendetta, ignoring the underlying implications in the reporters series. The situations referred to by Layton are that, after one week outdoors, Stackhouse claims, according to Layton, that public resources are used by crack dealers, that beggars earn professional wages and that there is more free food than the homeless can eat (Layton, 235). Although Layton implies that he is quoting from the article, the phrase about free fo od is not even in it, which immediately weakens his argument. Layton does admit that emergency shelters alone are not the answer, but his only reference to the personal aspects of the homeless is their need for more respect. He seems to consider money and